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Elvira Popescu (1894-1993)
}} Elvira Popescu or, in French, Elvire Popesco (May 10, 1894 – December 11, 1993) was a Romanian-born French stage and movie actress and theatre director. Life and career Born in Bucharest, Popescu studied drama at the Conservatorul de Artă Dramatică, under the guidance of Constantin Nottara and Aristizza Romanescu. She made her debut at the National Theatre Bucharest at age 16.Mari Români In 1912, she played herself in the movie Independenţa României, directed by Aristide Demetriade. In 1919 she became artistic director of the Excelsior Theatre.Ciobanu In 1921, Popescu started Teatrul Mic, which she managed in parallel with the Excelsior.Ciobanu, Mari Români In 1923, she starred in the movie Ţigăncuşa de la iatac, directed by Alfred Halm. At the urging of Louis Verneuil, the French playwright, Popescu moved in 1924 to Paris. Under Verneuil's direction, she played the leading role in Ma Cousine de Varsovie, at the Théâtre de la Michodière. She also played in Tovaritch (1933), La Machine infernale (1954), Nina (1949), and La Mamma (1957). Later on, she was director of Théâtre de Paris (1956–1965), and Théâtre Marigny (1965–1978)."Marigny - Salle Popesco" At age 84, she played again in La Mamma. Elvira Popescu also played in movies, such as La Présidente (Fernand Rivers, 1938), Tricoche et Cacolet (Pierre Colombier, 1938), Ils étaient neuf célibataires (Sacha Guitry, 1939), Paradis perdu (Abel Gance, 1940), Austerlitz (Abel Gance, 1960), and Plein soleil (René Clément, 1960). Shortly after her debut in 1910, Popescu married comedian Aurel Athanasescu; they had a daughter, Tatiana.Mari Români, CinéArtistes After a few years, she divorced, and married Ion Manolescu-Strunga, Minister of Industry and Commerce (who was to die in Sighet prison in the 1950s). Her third husband was Count Maximilien Sébastien Foy (born in Paris on April 17, 1900, died in Neuilly sur Seine on November 11, 1967)."Families of Jules and Théodore Porgès" She died in Paris at age 99, and was interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery. Honors *In 1987, Elvira Popescu received the Molière Prize for career achievements. *In 1989, President François Mitterrand conferred upon her the Légion d’honneur. Filmography * 1912 Independenţa României/Războiul pentru Independenţă – directed by Gregore Brezeanu -(figuration) * 1923 La jeune fille de la mansarde / La petite tzigane de la chambre à coucher ( Ţigăncuşa de la iatac ) directed by Alfred Halm * 1930 L’étrangère – directed by Gaston Ravel * 1931 Sa meilleure cliente – directed by Pierre Colombier * 1931 Ma cousine de Varsovie – directed by Carmine Gallone * 1933 Une femme chipée – directed by Pierre Colombier * 1935 Dora Nelson – directed by René Guissart avec Julien Carette * 1935 L’amant de madame Vidal –directed by André Berthomieu * 1936 Le roi – directed by Pierre Colombier * 1936 La maison d’en face – directed by Christian-Jaque * 1936 L’homme du jour – directed by Julien Duvivier * 1937 L’habit vert – directed by Roger Richebé * 1937 À Venise, une nuit – directed by Christian-Jaque * 1937 Le club des aristocrates – directed by Pierre Colombier * 1938 Tricoche et Cacolet – directed by Pierre Colombier * 1938 La présidente – directed by Fernand Rivers * 1938 Mon curé chez les riches – directed by Jean Boyer * 1938 Éducation de prince – directed by Alexander Esway * 1938 Eusèbe député – directed by André Berthomieu * 1938 Derrière la façade / 32 Rue de Montmartre – directed by Georges Lacombe & Yves Mirande * 1939 Le veau gras – directed by Serge de Poligny * 1939 Le bois sacré – directed by Léon Mathot * 1939 Paradis perdu – directed by Abel Gance * 1939 Ils étaient neuf célibataires – directed by Sacha Guitry * 1940 L’héritier des Mondésir – directed by Albert Valentin * 1940 Parade en sept nuits – directed by Marc Allégret * 1941 Le valet maître – directed by Paul Mesnier * 1941 L’âge d’or – directed by Jean de Limur * 1942 Mademoiselle Swing – directed by Richard Pottier * 1942 Le voile bleu – directed by Jean Stelli * 1942 Frédérica – directed by Jean Boyer * 1943 Fou d’amour – directed by Paul Mesnier * 1959 Plein soleil – directed by René Clément * 1960 Austerlitz – directed by Abel Gance Trivia * While married to Manolescu-Strunga, she lived in a house not far from the University of Bucharest. The house, built on a 1,224 m² lot, has 22 rooms, spread over 500 m² of living area; it was put on the market in 2005 for about 2 million Euros.Pop * From 1930 to 1985, Elvira Popescu lived in a villa in Mézy-sur-Seine, Yvelines. The villa, acquired from fashion designer Paul Poiret, and remodelled in 1932 by architect Paul Boyer, was declared a historic monument in 1984, but it has since decayed. Bought for 1.8 million French francs in 1999, it is open occasionally to the public. Notes References * Dana Ciobanu, "Sinucidere pentru Elvira Popescu", ''Jurnalul Naţional, March 1, 2004 * Constantin Roman, "Blouse Roumaine", 2001–2002 * "Elvira Popescu", at Mari Români * "Families of Jules and Théodore Porgès" * "Elvire Popesco", at CinéArtistes * Lucian Pop, "Conace boiereşti pentru cei care vor să se simtă moşieri", at Muse Imobiliare, July 20, 2005 * "Marigny - Salle Popesco" at Theatre online Category:Romanian actors Category:French actors Category:Born in Romania Category:Died in Paris Category:Married in Romania Category:Married in France Category:Resided in Romania Category:Resided in France Category:Countesses de Foy